Are you ready to cheer in January? The Nordic and Baltic chefs are once again ready to compete when the unofficial world championships for chefs kicks off.

If there is something the French are experts at, it's food. They are both good at producing the ingredients, cooking them and not least; enjoying the result. In fact they are such experts at gastronomy that UNESCO in 2010 appointed the French gastronomy as a World Heritage.

And it is precisely this expertise that is in focus every second year in January at Bocuse d'Or in Lyon.

The competition was founded by acclaimed Michelin chef Paul Bocuse in 1987 and is based on the same principles as major sporting events. The goal is to focus on cooking and young talents from around the world.

Amazing dishes, a cheering audience and young talents

24 talented chefs has 5 hours and 35 minutes to cook amazing dishes in front of a cheering audience and a jury composed of some of the greatest chefs.

But before the young chefs reaches the final in Lyon, they must qualify in previous competitions - just like at the soccer World Cup. Bocuse d'Or is also known as the unofficial world championship for chefs.

During the 2-year cycle between each final of the Bocuse d'Or, there is held close to 60 competitions around the world to select the 24 countries that will participate in the final, to win bronze, silver or gold.

This year both Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and Norway are among the finalists.

Scandinavia is well represented

But it is not only the French who have mastered gastronomy in the past. The Scandinavian countries have been strongly represented in the Bocuse d'Or - in fact, the first two competitions in 1987 and 1989, are the only ones where Scandinavia have not been represented on the podium.

In 2015 Ørjan Johannesen from Norway won gold and Tommy Myllymaki from Sweden got Bronze. In 2013 the Danish chef Jeppe Foldager won silver, and in 2011 there was a full house for Norway, Sweden and Denmark, who could bring both bronze, silver and gold with them to Scandinavia.For the Danish chef Rasmus Kofoed it also meant a full house on a personal level. With the first prize he had secured his third and final trophy for his mantelpiece.